as possible for their increasingly hungry clients. is an astonishing example of this appetite within a few decades this fishing village has morphed into a mecca of modern architecture it's a sandbox for developers were no fantasies too grandiose. but projects. of sand using huge volumes of sand and construction projects concrete and indeed just making more land as has been doing with the with the officially constructed island. landfills or even bigger consumers of sand than concrete. with a booming economy the emirate launched an investor's expansion project. after

the year 2000 with the price of real estate soaring as a result of speculation developers bet that it would be cheaper to make land than to buy it. the self-proclaimed 8th wonder of the world cost over $12000000000.00 and devoured more than $150000000.00 tons of sand dredge from the coastline. with a giant palm still under construction flying high in the seemingly endless supply of money and sand embarked on an even more extravagant project the world. the world is an island paradise where unprecedented opportunity can be found it is almost as resort official archipelago of $300.00 islands designed as a map of the world absorbed $14000000000.00 and $3.00 times as much sand as the palm. the old. place magination.

today the world is a mirage the work site has been abandoned since the onset of the financial crisis in 2008. deserted island is now parked in the sun awaiting the uncertain day when millionaire buyers will again descend on to buy and restore its glory. to kill the corporation managing the palm in the world the crisis is more than financial overdevelopment is totally liquidated by his natural sand resources and you think well fine of course dubai is on the edge of that there's a they've got hold of stanley neat like all the gulf states dubai has sand everywhere so why doesn't the emirates simply help itself to the desert. desert sand is the wrong color end of sand for building a lot of fishel islands why because deserts and all the grains have been blown around by the wind and is typically very round and very smooth if you want to use it to build an island they don't stick together you need sand that that is more

angular rougher rougher age say that naturally sticks together. see sand is perfect for island building and construction but it's in limited supply sand is not a sustainable resource. although its own stocks are exhausted dubai is far from given up. the burj khalifa at the time of construction the world's tallest building was built with sand from half a world away. we have a saying in english which is selling sand to the arabs which is obviously a joke. that that's actually come true in the case of the by. $3500.00 australian companies exports into the arabian peninsula their profits of tripled in 20 years accounting for a $5000000000.00 jackpot. and australia is just one small part of

a global trend that reliant on importing sand from other areas and so what you see is this huge trade around the world moving from one another for different purposes such construction and land reclamation. singapore is another city at the heart of the sand wars. in 30 years the country known as the switzerland of asia has become one of the richest in the region during this time the population has more than doubled and the 63 islands that make up this city state are bursting at the seams singapore it's sort of lying on the import. for its very existence in the land masses literally increased 20 percent over the last 40 years and that's largely been recognition so literally pouring sound into the sea to create new land . singapore is already transformed 130 square kilometers of water into land and is planning to add another 100 square kilometers by 2030. having devoured all its own

reserves its for ratios appetite is targeted at its neighbor supplies. one after another cambodia. malaysia and indonesia have each decided to ban trade with singapore but its addiction to sand is not easy to restrain. singapore is being accused of expanding its coastline with illegally dredged satins from neighboring states. suspicions of sand trafficking hang over singapore and the dozens of barges filled in the broom which imo daily and it's important prove that the city state has found an alternative source but where does the saying come from. tommy guns beer. guns. you're going to hear very every day every week.

this what is the visual so. i'm going to. sit in. your individual. little. north korean television nobody or 3 of us in a couple of. things to local traffic in networks singapore and dealers with false identities working for fictional companies continue to find supplies of sand in neighboring countries. but the other one. but in the same system. which i think is it just it was the business of the state of putting this is this case. thank you very much. the law with the tacit support of the government there most loyal client. the son trade in singapore is that he usually have a political as the mass of the baucus is far as we're concerned it's just

a as bill the south as you know leader in the region particularly with the last global sun that's but their companies will brain imports of that country and should be its human rights violations environmental degradation and damage the livelihoods of local people. the effects of underwater dredging are far from benign. much of the ocean floors rocky are covered with only a thin layer of sand. built up over tens or even hundreds of thousands of years. as you dredge up a set. of course all the the any walls and plans on the sea floor they will all be dredged up as well and therefore whatever living communities are they will just

be the sand is the primary link in the underwater food chain remove it and the survival of all species from the smallest to the largest is threatened. like many archipelagos many of indonesia's islands are literally made of sand and intense dredging has triggered a series of chain reactions. 92 percent in the nation's fiscal challenges come from tension of the city because of mining activity is when this coral reef we lost fish. livelihood. everything loss of fish habitat directly endangers the survival of thousands of indonesian families but that's only the 1st of sand dredging to adverse effects. if you have an oil made of sand it's only there because of conspiracy of natural processes wind waves

water currents time of year and so if you start removing that. then you've upset the balance of the conspiracy and waves and currents will learn start to move the rest of the set. after the extraction of sand a combination of waves currents and gravity slowly fill in the back you. so the removal of underwater sand can have a very noticeable effect on nearby beaches and islands. and so by a combination of the match will prove this is and human excavation the island can literally disappear. one of the most stunning and packs of the trade is the disappearance of some of the islands off the coast of indonesia which have literally vanished when we use that sand. our life. once an island disappears the

international maritime boundary changes all is required to these become geopolitical issues as well as simply commercial and resource issues. 25 indonesian islands have already disappeared. like coal and gas sand is now on the frontline of the world's hunger for raw materials. scarcity and dangers local communities and sets governments against each other. as demand builds the circle only becomes more vicious. morocco's gentle climate has been welcoming tourists for years. but its famous beaches have also been attracting some strange 4 legged visitors a constant stream of men and donkeys descend on the beaches 7 days a week. in search of. sand.

for men on the donkeys have taken so much sand that some beaches now look like the surface of the moon. rock has been experiencing a construction boom spurred on by a competitive real estate market. the builders are happy but they need plenty of sand legal and otherwise. i repair i have i don't want to give you. all you know that i'm not going to bend and addenda going to not 'd wonder how you could have been acquitted oh well i mean up to you had no love no my love my double got nothing. but i mean i got them help oh yeah. look i do one thing yes i did was really i do what cigars right with their

day but they didn't come but you know you're not going out you're right not them have them come we don't look good i'm not good at your creativity oh i like them i like that lap it's estimated that 40 to 45 percent of the sand used in construction in morocco has been stolen mostly from its beaches. loaded onto trucks the sand is sold directly to unscrupulous developers but that's not where the problem ends. without proper treatment salty beach sand mixed with cement is highly corrosive make america's new buildings ticking time bombs in danger of collapse. ironically the beach is meant to lure the tourists are being stripped bare to build hotels and condos that may turn out to be death traps.

in the maybe enjoy. the position of being the financial capital of the country andrea also have a huge housing boom construction boom that's because of the influx of so many new people into the city. but the indian economy booming construction has to keep pace and like in so many other battlegrounds of the sand wars easy profits lead to corrupt practices. the value of sand is such that it's a commercial commodity that is smuggled i mean the it's a big business is smuggling the fam. sand mafia is the most powerful criminal organization in india. and lot of the people in the whole. who

control of the sand mafia oso controls a lot of the construction the construction materials businesses in bombay as well as the constructions themselves in addition to that they also control the administration through their political contacts so that just completes the whole value chain right from the extraction to construction the the profits in each bottle fed the administration and the police. under the eyes of corrupt authorities the sand arts ply their trade in broad daylight and more than $8000.00 drugs inside scattered across the coast and river banks of the subcontinent. for the mafia's beaches are easy prey because the sand is literally within arm's reach so they had even the most popular tourist sites the places where you expect

to stretch out on the beach and worship the sun. the tentacles of the mafia's however are just adding to the pressures facing the world speeches. just 2 years ago there was a row of houses here. about i think about 8 houses from about here all the way down to the condo and those houses verano water the shoreline with going right past them so they ended up taking them out of these houses here with their on the beach front were row number 2 and i suspect that the house won't be here and 5 here. we thought the house about 2 years ago hoping that we would be able to retire here . but from here you can see how much sand we've lost underneath the house.

because it was up to level with the cement but of course it went out into the ocean . so. the beach area was about the length of a football field and over the last 2 years the a scar is underneath the houses so. the erosion on this part of the beach is much quicker than we anticipated or that is deemed to normal. globally between 75 and 90 percent of beaches are actually undergoing some sort of retreat and that's only going to get worse. from the bamboo hoffa's to navigating dangerous rapids from the time we depart to

the time we finish are scared to the fishermen and dicing with death. i'm afraid of falling i'm afraid of dying breed if i don't go by conflict my family needs the men who go to the extreme just to make a living i'm not you have to be a strong swimmer otherwise and surf and risking it all vietnam on al-jazeera. the latest news as it breaks while the lunar lander has been over shows expect to receive images. with detailed coverage. from black blood the wrong way before catherine i walk through the. door it. from around the world his body will lie in state for a few days then few movies at the national hero symmetry in the capital. we will maintain finest fighting force in the world has ever known the night states army sober life is one of the products i would call the dependency.

and the reality of the 21st century. you. don't give a person to do something no child should not. rely on al jazeera. and these are main stories this hour there have been protests in egypt for a 2nd day on saturday demanding the resignation of president of the sisi security forces fired tear gas at the protesters in the streets of suez rallies were also held and which is near cairo and dozens of people were arrested in friday's rallies

presidency is a new york ahead of the u.n. general assembly is also expected to meet the u.s. president mike hanna has more details. president trump invited to receive to the white house shortly after he was made president he's met with him now on a fairly regular occasion he describes him as a strong leader who's done a fantastic job in egypt is what president trump says he also strangely enough at a meeting of the g 7 last month said at one stage where is my favorite dictate to saudi arabia says it will wait until it finishes investigating last week's drone strikes on 2 if it's all societies before taking action studies minister of state for foreign affairs baer believes un investigators will confirm iran was behind the strikes on iran co ria has rejected a claim by yemen's who you rebels that they carried out the strikes teenage

campaign against its own very has been the youth's climate summit the united nations it comes a day after millions around the world took part in protests calling for more action on climate change millions of people across the globe. marched and demanded real climate action especially young people. we showed them we we are united and that we young people are unstoppable ukraine is denying reports president lot of lansky was pressured by the u.s. president this year to investigate democratic presidential hopeful joe biden on this sunday ukraine's foreign minister says a phone call in july between donald trump and selenski was long and friendly but there was no pressure from the u.s. president u.k. opposition leader jeremy corbyn has been forced to defuse internal fighting over the party's stance on briggs it carbon intervened to stop

a motion to oust his deputy who had clashed with the left wing labor left wing. continues just off one of his main highways the family collects as much water as possible from the mountain above. a nationwide blackout left millions without power a regular water supplies. but this water is not portable the health ministry is recommending people treated with chlorine but with none available. hopes the boiling at 1st will make it safe for her family to drink. it says the increased consumption of untreated water in the last 3 weeks is making an already catastrophic situation worse of anyone normally no we don't have the precise numbers yet but we know that in the public and private hospitals there's been an acute increase of cases of severe diarrhea that require hospitalization including children under 2 years of age which can be fatal local and international public

health experts describe the crisis it's a complex humanitarian emergency. the world is running out of sand consumed by industry infrastructure stolen and transported by criminal mafias around the world. behind air and water. is the most used commodity in the world. where humans have intervened and we've built structures a wall concrete seawall a highway a hotel a parking lot the beach can't move back and we see long term beach lost. as part of the natural cycle beaches adjust to seasonal changes and summer beaches

grow thicker and in winter they receive a level off to better absorb the energy of the waves to survive the ocean salt beaches must have enough space behind them but we've built too close to the shore so with nowhere to go beaches are overcome by the waves which carry their sand out to sea. if you have an eroding beach what is the problem. not the symptom the same symptom is the beaches eroding but what is the problem. what's causing it is us. we are drawn to coastlines today 3 quarters of the largest cities in the world population are on the coast as the population growth accelerates the world's. increasing density by 2025 to 3 quarters of the world's inhabitants will live near the ocean and those 10 ribbons of sand which surround the continents are feeling

the pressure. if we think. of the water and i hope that we learn from that but now we're here. and we have to figure out how to make projects. that is wider and that's what brings tourists. in florida 9 out of 10 beaches are in the process of disappearing along with the future livelihood of all those who depend on this economic engine. each year of the planet's tourists head for the beach beaches feed the hotel industry as well as recreation transportation food services and a multitude of other sectors in some areas almost half the g.d.p. depends directly on beaches. letting them disappear is out of the question. so what we're trying to do is try to mitigate those problems try to lessen the

impact and that's why we have to take these unnatural acts of pumping sand into the beaches. to keep their beaches viable cities that can afford to invest. in their. dredge home sand from the ocean floor and tours it onto the beach. some people see this is a solution others see it as a band-aid which only true. it's the symptom. they've got to put up the beach and say this is beach nourishment but it's just another hole. those big machines that when they go take this there in killing everything within that sand is ground up put into a pipe crust moved and then it comes out and pumped the life forms in that part of the beach aren't prepared to be buried alive and suffocate it it's a killing process for the sake of dollars. peter planet is

a temporary remedy after a year to the sand has been washed out to sea and the whole process must be started again from scratch nonetheless this method is highly popular to the delight of the dredging companies it's a matter of big money big big influence green it's not a pleasant thing to see you see this beautiful beach but behind it is something that's not so pleasant. in a desperate maneuver to try to trap the sand on the beaches coastal engineers are advocating the construction of dikes breakwaters and all sorts of other structures . but sand cannot be so easily tamed. the constant movement of sand is not necessarily always cooperating with the way we want the place to be it will fill up harbors and all it will wash away from beaches

where we like tourists to come and so that balance is something that we all dramatically changing just by building on. all by building a sea wall around the extends out from the beach we build a wall to to contain sand to keep it on our beach what do we do we stop the sand from supplying on neighbors beach. the tragedy is that people are just not aware they're not aware that an action here is going to have a reaction somewhere else so we all have to be very careful when it comes to redeveloping the coastline we have a responsibility because we don't want these great wonderful treasures that we want to share with our children to disappear because of greed because of irresponsibility. and because of just not dan paying attention.

in order to avert further catastrophe it's important to understand the source of 90 percent of the world sea sand often a long way from the beaches. for the most part it starts in a rock somewhere that breaks down it might be in a river from ice or snow or rainfall and as that grain comes out of the granite or the sandstone it gets into a small stream and then a larger river and in a normal world ultimately will work its way all the way to the shoreline. it takes thousands or even millions of years for a grain of sand to reach the sea and it's a journey full of pitfalls. in america we have been building one dam every day since the dec relation of

independence and 7761 a day. 80000 dams blocked the rivers of the united states and china where the demand for energy is exploding dams are popping up everywhere so that by 2020 not a single waterway will reach the sea. and in the rest of the world there are at least 845000 dams and it's not only water they're holding back so all that sand that should be at the beach is behind the dance. one quarter of the sand reserves of the planet are hostage to these dams and the sand that makes it beyond the dams will run into another trapped river dredger.

although it's regulated in many countries it's still a widespread practice especially in countries where legislation this week results about 50 percent of a sandwich or nurse the world's beaches will never reach the sea. the coastline like many other environments it's like the earth was always thought so big so vast that we couldn't have an impact on it we built a dam for water or electricity which is a good thing but downstream there's no more sand so somehow we have to figure out how to bring all those things back into balance by taking some conscious steps to try to reduce the impacts of those things we're doing as a civilization. is coming. to you.

on the. ground after green beach is slowly erode victims of decades of human interference. if you add the rising level. you get an ecological time bomb. to see right it's just going to happen a lot more quickly without saying. but it's not going to stop there it's going to take out in all half of manhattan and it's going to this could take our cities as well it's going. keep coming. the sand is our barricade and we have to understand that. in the middle of the indian ocean sand is a matter of life and death. on

the. sand divers have been collecting call sand from the lagoon for years and selling with developers. but with sea levels rising this sand harvesting is leading to some serious problems. and. sad it is a very ambitious commodity in the maldives because this one millimeter of the ocean touching you constantly every minute every 2nd every day every year is such a false and it is eat. or you don't deny. the mall deaves our road at a moment here right residents do what they can to protect their homes but many beaches are little more than memories. really not god and i'd get all of them i say in a demonic not i'm in a body did it come up was how to undo what the law gave it one nun

a difficulty down the dictaphone line number tunnel building i got in riyadh only make a name on a clinic the highgate at the lodge i didn't have a month in and it will make and the money keyboarding us will unite in the going to become a living. several 100 islands have already been evacuated and today the refugees crowd into larger and better protected islands such as small as the capital. already overcrowded new houses are being crammed together. but in another better irony of the sand wars new. construction require ever more sand. we have been in the middle of the indian ocean for the last 5000 we have written history that goes but. we can't just. far from the mild deaves beautiful threatened beaches.